Dick’s Destroys AR-15s it Took off the Shelves

When Dick’s Sporting Goods said it was going to stop selling so-called “assault weapons” at its Field & Stream stores and require any gun buyer to be at least 21, despite the fact that federal law says 18 is the age for long guns, did it make you wonder how the retailer was going to return all those firearms? Well, no worries on that front now. Seems Dick’s has decided to destroy all the guns instead.

That’s right. The company announced that it would destroy them, and accessories for the guns in question, in accordance with federal guidelines and regulations. No word on how many guns will be destroyed, but Wall Street didn’t take well to the news, with Dick’s losing almost 2 percent in trading on Tuesday.

The rifles will be demolished at various Dick’s distribution centers, after which they’ll be taken to a salvage company for recycling.

About two weeks after the Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Fla., Dick’s was one of the nation’s big retailers (Walmart was another) that arbitrarily decided to enforce its own form of gun control, limiting sales of AR-15 platform guns and raising the buying age for rifles.

Dick’s has faced some blowback, with a couple of discrimination lawsuits pending, and its stock has been trading in the $30-$35 range much of this calendar year.

Dick’s might have thought the gun control moves were in line with public sentiment, but it’s likely to end up costing the company on the bottom line.